Container systems such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,026 are used in a wide variety of food preparation and storage applications. Container systems generally include a container and a resealable lid. The lid of the container can typically resealably engage an opening. The lid can include an aperture covered by a vent cap. Container systems have been designed to be compact and stackable to reduce the amount of space required to store several systems in a refrigerator, cabinet, closet, shelf, or other unit.
Container systems are utilized in a variety of food storage and preparation applications. For example, container systems are often utilized to store food, such as, fruit, pasta, vegetables, bread, or other edible material. The container system should have a secure seal between the lid and the container to prolong the storage life of the food. The seal also prevents odors from the stored food from interacting with other food items, such as when several food items are contained in a refrigeration unit.
Some container systems have been designed with a mechanism to evacuate or to lower the pressure within the container system. Once the lid is closed onto the container, the evacuation mechanism is manipulated to reduce the pressure in the container system so the food stored in the container system can be preserved for a longer time (e.g., stays fresher). Additionally, the use of an evacuation system assures the user that the lid has been properly sealed to the container. The user hears or otherwise is given feedback information that the lid is not appropriately closed when the evacuation operation fails. Conventional evacuation systems have utilized bulky, complex pumping mechanisms to reduce the pressure within a container system. These complex pumping mechanisms are difficult to manufacture, expensive and interfere with the compact, stackable nature of the container system.
Thus, there is a need for a low-cost, compact container system which can be evacuated by a simple operation. Further, there is a need for a container system which can be evacuated without using a pump or other complex evacuation device. Further still, there is a need for a container system including an air evacuation valve which can be efficiently manufactured.